Azerbaijan has prepared new list of political prisoners, which consists of 97 people
Columnist of Azerbaijani Service of Radio "Liberty" Khadija Ismailova has issued a list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The list is prepared by a working group of lawyers and 12 non-governmental organizations, reports the Azerbaijani news agency "Turan".
At the same time the list includes also the arrested members of the working group: Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy Leyla Yunus, her husband - Arif Yunus, director of Human Rights Club Rasul Jafarov and the head of the Legal Education Society Intigam Aliyev.
"The list can be replenished with new detainees," thinks Ismailova.
It is noted that the list is now being translated into English and will be presented to the international community next week. There are 97 people on the list, including the last four arrested activists.
At the last session of the PACE in Strasburg Rasul Jafarov and several other human rights activists made a report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. A month ago, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in Baku Jafarov and other activists held a public hearing on civil society issues. Both of these events have caused a backlash in Baku. Authorities got furious with the decision of PACE to appoint a special rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Human rights activist Leyla Yunus was arrested on 30 July in her house yard. A number of charges were brought up against her among them that of state treason. According to the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) of Azerbaijan as of 21 May 2014 there were 130 victims of political repressions in Azerbaijan: 41 of which are prisoners of conscience and 89 are political prisoners.